Pokemon: Rivals Collide
by NuttyBuddy792
Summary: Sequel to Pokemon: Brother vs Brother, it's another epic 6 on 6 full battle with explosions, combos, and entertainment galore. OC's accepted, guidlines inside, will do requests. Enjoy!


**Hello again everybody, it's your Nutty Buddy, back in action. Now I know most of you started following me because of Chaos Unleashed. I'm sorry I've been taking so long on the next chapter, but you can see why I am. I've been working on this battle for quite some time and finally decided to get it done. So without further ado, I present to you the sequel to my Pokémon Battle of Brother vs Brother; Pokémon! Rivals Collide! Pokémon does not belong to me, they belong to Game Freak, Nintendo, Ken Sugimori, and a whole host of other companies.**

This was it. The next hour or so would decide who was the best Trainer in the state. My rival and I had quite the history between the two of us, raising our first Pokémon together, earning our first badges on the same day, even teamed up to win the tag-team division in high school. So as I walked out of the tunnel to the roar of the crowd, which seemed even bigger than the intense semifinal match against my little brother, I saw my rival Noah standing across the battlefield. He was a strongly built man, yet he still had that boyish face which gave him a cheerful appearance. He was grinning as we took up our positions.

"You ready for another beat-down?" he asked.

"You'll be receiving the beat-down," I shot back, "This isn't like last year."

"Good, because it was boring last year."

"I won't disappoint." Last year in the quarterfinals of this same tournament, I had lost badly to Noah, losing six to two in knockouts thanks to multiple rookie mistakes brought on by the pressure of competing in such a prestigious tournament and my inability to handle such pressure. I simply had to win this battle, if only so that I wouldn't have to endure the taunting Noah had put me through over the past few weeks leading up to the tournament. That and I had sworn to make up last year's defeat to my Pokémon, since it was my fault I had let them down so badly.

"This match will be a full six on six Pokémon battle," the referee announced, "There will be no restrictions on substitution and the match will be over when all six of one person's team are unable to battle. Are both Trainers ready?" Noah and I nodded simultaneously. "Then choose your first Pokémon and let the match begin!"

I grabbed the red and brown Pokéball off my belt and kissed it for good luck. "Blaziken, time for battle!"

Noah threw his Pokéball at the same time. "Infernape, standby for battle!" In a flash of white light, both Blaziken and Infernape materialized on our respective sides of the battlefield. The Blaze Pokémon greeted the Flame Pokémon casually, almost as if they weren't about to be battling for a championship.

The referee raised his flag. "Blaziken versus Infernape, ready, begin!"

"Infernape, Flare Blitz!" Infernape screeched a battle cry and cloaked itself in yellow flame, charging towards Blaziken.

"Now Blaziken, as we practiced, spin and use Blaze Kick!" I ordered calmly. I wasn't going to be suckered like last time.

"Thunder Punch!" As expected, Infernape broke out of the Flare Blitz, hands crackling dangerously with electricity. Blaziken leaped and spun in the air, lashing out with fiery feet. Infernape flipped over Blaziken's attack and lashed out with the Thunder Punch. Blaziken fell on his back and used Infernape's momentum to throw the Flame Pokémon. Infernape did a handspring and landed lightly on its feet. There was some applause and cheers from the crowd at the display of fighting prowess.

"Not bad," Noah admitted, "Better than last year at least."

"You're going to need to forget about last year," I retorted, "Because this is now. Blaze Uppercut Close Combat Combo, now!" Blaziken ran towards Infernape, fists glowing with the essence of a Sky Uppercut and feet flaming with Blaze Kick.

"Infernape, use Close Combat!" The two Fire/Fighting types began punching and kicking at such high speeds that their limbs appeared to have tripled, each giving as good as they got. Suddenly, both Pokémon were knocked back as both landed simultaneous blows. They both got up quickly and were smiling.

"I think our Pokémon are enjoying this as much as everyone else is," I commented.

"We've been battling each other for nearly nine years," Noah said, "And we've always began each battle with our first Pokémon. So yes, my Infernape loves battling your Blaziken and I'm sure your Pokémon shares the same feelings."

"That's what rivalries are for," I said, "It helps make you and your opponent better when they have someone they compete against."

"And it's really satisfying to thrash said rival in one of the biggest tournaments of the year," Noah smirked.

"Keep living in the past," I growled, "It'll make beating you in the present that much easier. Blaziken, Shadow Claw!" The Blaze Pokémon extended his hands outward, shadowy energy in the form of claws manifesting itself around Blaziken's three-talon hands. Blaziken charged towards Infernape, who raised his fists in anticipation.

"Infernape, use Dig!" Noah ordered, smirking again. The Flame Pokémon also grinned and burrowed underground. Blaziken stopped in his tracks, looking around warily for any sign of where Infernape would reemerge.

"Stay sharp partner," I said reassuringly, "when Infernape comes up, use Flamethrower."

"Blaziken blaze," he responded, letting the Shadow Claw dissipate. (Translation: He's up to something)

"I know," I said, "He's got several Dig combos up his sleeve. We can do nothing but wait for him to tip his hand."

"Ken, blaze ken," my Pokémon grunted. (Translation: Yeah, that's what worries me)

"Just concentrate," I snapped, scanning the field. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble behind my first Pokémon. "Behind you!"

Blaziken spun around and shot a Flamethrower, but he was too slow. Infernape had already gotten out of the hole, but instead of attacking like I expected, he simply dove and burrowed into the ground again.

'What is he up to?' I wondered, 'It's one of his multi-hole tricks, but is it going to be the whack-a-mole like Flame Barrage or the Electric Field? Maybe he's finally nailed his new combo he told me he was practicing, I can't remember the name. I'll just have to guess and hope I'm right.'

"You seem perplexed," Noah commented as Infernape again popped out of the ground and again dove right back under the ground.

"Because you love to keep me guessing," I answered, then directed my attention back to Blaziken. "Be careful buddy, Infernape's probably going to start using Flamethrowers any second now."

Noah started laughing. "I'm not using the Flame Barrage this time."

"Whatever it is, I'm going to stop it," I said, "Blaziken, start firing a Flamethrower into the holes to flush Infernape out!" My first Pokémon complied and began to shoot Flamethrowers into the holes. With each shot into a hole, the surrounding holes would suddenly erupt with geysers of fire, turning the field into a miniature version of hell.

"Sorry, but Infernape's too deep for your Flamethrower's to reach," Noah said, then leaned over to one of the holes. "Alright Infernape, use Blast Burn!" Silence fell over the field for a moment, then I could hear Infernape's screech as the ground began to rumble. Fire started to erupt from each of the holes. I stepped back from the intense heat as the ground underneath Blaziken suddenly exploded in a rush of fire and partially melted rock. My Pokémon was flung back, lifted up by one of the fire geysers, then dumped unceremoniously in front of me. Through the acrid smoke that stung my eyes, I saw Infernape climbing out of a nearby hole, looking very pleased with himself. Blaziken struggled a little while getting back on his feet, but I knew that Blaziken just needed to catch his breath and he'd be fine

"Blaze…. ken blaze?" he asked. (What…. was that?)

"I have no clue," I answered honestly, "But we can't let them do that again."

"Do you like my Volcano Combo?" Noah asked, "It took us several months to get that down without Infernape hurting himself. Unfortunately, on fields such as these, it's a one-time use only before serious repairs would have to be made. However, it was well worth it to see the look on your face."

"Dude, it looked like you had opened the gates of hell, how was I supposed to react?" I asked, "Don't answer that. Blaziken, you okay?"

"Blaziken!" came his response. (I'll be fine)

"Good to know, use Shadow Claw!" The shadowy energy enveloped Blaziken's hands again and he charged.

"Thunder Flame!" Noah ordered. Infernape's hands began to crackle with electricity, then the Flame Pokémon put his hands in front of his mouth and shot a Flamethrower at his hands and at Blaziken. The result was a stream of fire sizzling with electricity shooting towards the Blaze Pokémon. I had seen Noah use this combo ever since Infernape had learned Thunder Punch, catching many a Water-type or Flying-type Pokémon off guard. I, however, was not fazed this time.

"Hit the deck!" I cried. Blaziken dropped flat onto the ground, avoiding the powerful flames at the last second.

"Infernape, Flare Blitz!"

"You too Blaziken!" Both Pokémon flung themselves at each other, cloaked in white hot flames. The two Fire/Fighting types collided in midair and struggled for a bit, trying to overpower the other, then both Pokémon came skidding back to their respective Trainers, both of them breathing heavily.

Noah started to laugh. "Now this was the battle I was expecting last year. Where was all this when you needed it last year?"

"I was saving it up for this year," I answered, "Last year was just the quarterfinals, and you got your butt handed to you in the semifinals anyways."

"I still made it further than you, especially since I beat you worse than he beat me. Besides, he's aged out of the U21 division of this tournament, so we don't have to deal with him for another couple of years."

"I'm not worried about him. I'm concerned with this year and beating you."

"You just can't get over the fact that I humiliated you in front of everybody."

I grimaced "Not when you kept bringing it up every time I saw you for the past few weeks."

"Well, to the victor go the spoils, and part of the spoils is getting to taunt the vanquished."

"Until it comes back to bite you in the butt," I warned.

Noah chuckled again. "You haven't beaten me yet. Infernape, use Dig!" The Flame Pokémon disappeared under the ground once again.

I groaned despairingly as my mind began to go over the various Dig combos Noah had come up with over the years. "All right Blaziken, on my mark, Sky Uppercut to defend yourself from whatever they're up to."

"Blaze blaze, blaziken," the Blaze Pokémon said cheerfully. (Don't worry, we got this)

"Of course partner," I said, still scanning the field, for a sign of the Flame Pokémon. I heard a rumble, then saw movement. "It's coming from the left!"

Screeching a battle cry, Infernape burst out of the ground and attacked Blaziken, who, thanks to my warning, got his glowing fists up in time to first block Infernape's attack, then strike. Infernape was knocked backwards towards me, growling the whole time.

"Flamethrower!" Noah ordered. The flames Infernape spat out were enough to knock Blaziken back towards Noah, effectively switching our Pokémon's starting positions. "Now use Close Combat!"

"Blaziken, Close Combat Combo!" I yelled. Again, just like before, the two Fire/Fighting types were going at it hammer and tongs; fists, feet, and in Infernape's case tail were flying everywhere, earning cheers from the crowd as their fighting prowess was on full display. Both Noah and I barked out commands to our Pokémon, warning them of an opening here, telling them to duck, where to strike, waiting for a slip-up in the other's defenses. Suddenly, Infernape lunged forward, seemingly launching one last offensive. Blaziken ducked, then came up and used his powerful legs to send a powerful Sky Uppercut into Infernape's gut. I winced as I heard the air shoot from the Flame Pokémon's lungs. Infernape landed painfully near Noah, who looked almost as surprised as I felt. I could hear Infernape wheezing, trying to draw that precious oxygen back into his lungs.

"Nice going partner," I said to Blaziken, "Looks like you knocked the wind out of Infernape."

"Blaziken blaze blaze blaze!" he replied. (Nothing can stop us now!)

A sudden flare-up caught my attention. "You just had to say something." Infernape was getting back onto his feet, the flame on his head doubling, then tripling in size and I noticed a red glow in Infernape's eyes.

"Yes, Blaze!" Noah crowed as Infernape screeched a war cry and readied for combat once again. "Use Flamethrower!"

The flames were much faster this time and looked much hotter too. "Block it!" I ordered hastily. Blaziken crossed his arms in front of his face and braced himself. Even with the time to prepare, Blaziken was sent skidding backwards. I turned in despair to see where Blaziken had ended up and caught the eye of one of the spectators. Her Plusle and Minun were leaping up and down, creating little pom-poms of sparks. My best friend Caitlynn, a pretty young woman with medium length brown hair, was cheering also and I could read her lips, even if I couldn't hear over the roar of the crowd

"Don't give up!" she was yelling. I nodded and turned to Blaziken, who was breathing heavily. His wrist flames flared up suddenly and a red aura surrounded him.

"Looks like both of our Pokémon are getting a boost from Blaze," I said.

"Yup, sure does. Infernape's is cooler though," Noah said cheekily.

I shot him a glare. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, yes it does. Infernape, Thunder Punch!"

"Blaziken, Shadow Claw!" The two attacks collided, then the two Pokémon separated again.

"Infernape, Flare Blitz, full power!" Noah yelled. Infernape screeched, then cloaked himself in flames again. The difference from the previous Flare Blitzes was that this Flare Blitz was blue, showing that Blaze had truly increased Infernape's power to incredible levels. Thankfully, that special ability also gave the same power boost to my Blaziken. Then an idea occurred to me as Infernape charged.

"Blaziken, Solar Flare!" I said in a low enough voice that only Blaziken could hear. Blaziken nodded and the feathery "hairs" on the back of his head began to glow as the Blaze Pokémon collected solar energy.

"A Solarbeam isn't going to stop a Flare Blitz, not with the type matchups," Noah taunted, "Plus it'll never charge in time!"

"Who said I was using Solarbeam?" I asked, "Blaziken, NOW!" I averted my eyes as Blaziken fired the little burst of energy he had collected, creating a bright flash of light that would have done little to no damage if it struck any Pokémon. Blaziken and I had developed this trick by accident, as we were practicing his Solarbeam one day when the sun went behind the clouds. Rather than wait for Blaziken to spend even more time collecting the necessary energy, we tried firing what energy he had collected and the result was a lot of light, but little damage. Sort of like Flash, but without actually knowing the move. Instead of calling it Flash though, I decided to go with the name from Dragonball, the Solar Flare. The Solar Flare worked beautifully, just as it had against my brother in the semifinals and Infernape got the full blast of light, effectively blinding him for a good minute.

"No!" Noah shouted, "Infernape, guard yourself with Flamethrower!"

"Blaziken, Shadow Claw Close Combat, FINISH THIS!" I roared. The purple shadow energy Blaziken created around his hands formed into lethal looking claws and, ducking under the blindly shot Flamethrower, Blaziken began to slash at Infernape repeatedly, until with one last slash, Infernape collapsed, the flame on his head returning to normal size. A hushed silence fell over the stadium.

"Infernape is unable to battle," declared the referee, "Blaziken wins!"

"Well, is that's what we're getting from just the first round of this battle, I'd say we're in for a great final!" the announcer shouted on the PA system and the crowd erupted into cheers. Noah recalled his fallen Flame Pokémon and looked at me.

"Nice job," he said, "But there's plenty more where that came from. You won this battle, but there's still a war to fight here."

"Bring it on!" I challenged, "Blaziken, you were outstanding!"

Blaziken staggered over to me, then collapsed onto a knee. "Blaze, Blaziken." (I need a rest)

"No doubt about that, but I have a feeling I'll be needing you again before this battle is over."

"Blaziken blaze." (I'll be ready then)

"Good, return." Blaziken was grinning at me the whole time as he was recalled to his custom colored Pokéball. I scanned the crowd until I saw Caitlynn in the stands and gave her a thumbs-up. She returned the sign and I focused my attention back to the battlefield.

'One down, five to go,' I thought as I reached for my second Pokémon.

I threw a green Pokéball, custom painted by myself to help me identify which Pokémon was in which Pokéball. Most people have that knack of knowing their Pokémon just by their Pokéball. I had no such ability, so I colored my Pokéballs based on my Pokémon's types. "Sceptile, time for battle!" A green lizard like Pokémon with yellow seeds on his back and a palm-tree-branch-like tail came out of the green Pokéball I threw. The Forest Pokémon crossed his arms nonchalantly and glared at Noah.

"Ah, your favorite tree," he said, "Normally I'd send out my Grass type, but since I want to win definitively, I'm going to use this one instead." He pulled out a Pokéball and threw it. "Hitmonchan, standby for battle!" A tan, human-like Pokémon with a purple tunic/kilt and red boxing gloves appeared. It threw a bunch of quick punches, assumed a boxer's stance, and began hopping on its toes.

"Hitmonchan versus Sceptile. Ready? Begin!" the referee yelled, waving his flags.

"Hitmonchan, use Bullet Punch!" Noah ordered. Hitmonchan's fists turned silver and he put them together, creating a clanging sound. Hitmonchan then charged at a high speed towards Sceptile, who still hadn't uncrossed his arms.

"Sceptile, dodge, then use Leaf Blade!" I commanded. Sceptile leaned to the side to dodge Hitmonchan's initial charge at the last second. Hitmonchan went flying past, touched the ground briefly, then came at Sceptile again. Using the speed that blessed his species, Sceptile calmly dodged most of Hitmonchan's attacks, deflecting the few that were too fast with his arms. The leaves on Sceptile's arms suddenly morphed together and extended to create a long, bright green blade. Sceptile then blocked another one of Hitmonchan's Bullet Punches with one Leaf Blade and slashed Hitmonchan with the other, knocking it back. Hitmonchan growled as he skidded back.

"Hitmonchan, Icefire Close Combat!" Noah yelled. Hitmonchan's left fist turned an icy blue while the right fist was engulfed in flames. Hitmonchan charged towards Sceptile, a glint in his eye.

"Sceptile, dodge it!" I said, grinning, "It's just like practice." Sceptile barked a short laugh, then merriment gave way to determination as Sceptile again began to bob and weave, avoiding every single one of Hitmonchan's attacks. Hitmonchan then lashed out first at Sceptile's gut with Ice Punch, and when Sceptile knocked Hitmonchan's arm out of the way, Hitmonchan attacked with the Fire Punch. Sceptile leaned backwards as Hitmonchan's right hook sailed harmlessly overhead.

"Energy Ball!" I shouted. Sceptile straightened upright, a green ball of energy growing in his mouth. Sceptile shot the Energy Ball right at Hitmonchan, who was caught off guard and sent flying back to Noah's feet.

Now it was Noah's turn to growl. "Hitmonchan. Sky Uppercut!" He roared. Hitmonchan stood up with a similar roar and charged again, fists glowing white this time.

I grinned. "You know what to do Sceptile." Sceptile nodded and tensed, ready to move with lightning speed. Hitmonchan reached Sceptile and launched a nasty Sky Uppercut. The only problem with the attack was that Sceptile had leaned away from the attack and Hitmonchan only hit air. Hitmonchan tried again and again, only to have Sceptile lean away again and again. Finally, Hitmonchan growled in frustration and threw up his hands in the air to emphasize his point. Sceptile made Hitmonchan pay for that mistake, wasting no time in launching into an Aerial Ace which struck the Punching Pokémon with such force that he was launched all the way from my side of the field back to Noah. Amazingly, Hitmonchan began to struggle back to his feet AGAIN! I didn't think it would be able to get up after taking a direct hit from an Aerial Ace.

"I'm impressed," I admitted, watching Hitmonchan put up its fists again in a guard position, "Your Hitmonchan has definitely got some stamina."

"Thanks," Noah responded, "What I don't get is how Sceptile can avoid all of Hitmonchan's attacks. Hitmonchan can throw a hundred punches in a second, there's no way Sceptile is that fast."

"You underestimate the speed of my Sceptile," I answered, "Also, it's been training against Fighting types for most of its life. My Sceptile knows how to handle Fighting type moves."

"Then let's see how Sceptile withstands the elements," Noah challenged, "Hitmonchan, Elemental Punch Close Combat!" Instead of focusing on one element, Hitmonchan's fists began a colorful pattern of red, yellow, and blue, cycling through the elements in a rhythm that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Contest. Hitmonchan charged, the energy swirling around his fists swelling, making his fists bigger and harder to dodge.

"Counter with Leaf Blade," I ordered. Sceptile raised his arms in a defensive stance and began to spar with Hitmonchan. The two Pokémon were fighting at high speeds, not too dissimilar to how Blaziken and Infernape were dueling not too long ago. Finally, their attacks locked and they began trying to overpower the other with sheer strength. I saw Sceptile lean over and say something to Hitmonchan, something that I couldn't hear. I did see Hitmonchan's eyes widen and with a roar, Hitmonchan shoved Sceptile back and finally managed to land a punch on Sceptile. Sceptile stumbled a few steps back, rubbing his gut and brushing away the small accumulation of ice that came with the blow.

"What did I tell you about taunting your opponent?" I asked Sceptile knowingly, as this wasn't the first time this had happened. Whenever we were battling and winning, Sceptile would get cocky and taunt the opposing Pokémon, with mixed results. Sometimes the opponent would lose his focus and we'd win, other times the opponent would only be more determined. Either way, Sceptile's taunts rarely failed to enrage an opponent.

"Scep, Sceptile scep," Sceptile replied sheepishly. (Translation: I know, but I couldn't resist)

"Well, now you have a mad Hitmonchan who seems to be locked in now. Be careful," I warned. Sceptile merely shrugged and crouched, ready to move.

"Alright Hitmonchan, let's finish this with Giga Impact!" Noah yelled, emboldened by Hitmonchan's success. Indeed, with its rage, the Giga Impact aura that surrounded Hitmonchan as he charged seemed larger than normal. Sceptile looked to me for guidance.

"Wait for it," I said calmly, "waaaaait for iiiiiit, NOW!" Sceptile leaped to the side as Hitmonchan crashed into the spot that Sceptile had occupied a split second before, leaving a decent sized crater behind. The aura dissipated, and Hitmonchan stumbled, evidently exhausted.

"No!" Noah cried.

"Close Combat Combo!" I ordered. Sceptile began to strike Hitmonchan repeatedly with Leaf Blade and Iron Tail attacks. Sceptile finished with a jump, spin, and a loud clang as the Iron Tail floored Hitmonchan and this time, I knew for certain he wasn't getting back up.

The referee seemed to agree with me. "Hitmonchan is unable to battle, Sceptile wins!"

I ignored the cheers from the crowd and the announcer's excited commentary and caught Sceptile's eye. "You ready to go another round?"

"Sceptile!" he replied, looking very pleased with himself. (Of course!)

"Save that energy for the battle."

Noah looked across the field at me, grinning excitedly. "Nice start, but now I've got you figured out." He grabbed a Pokéball and threw it. "Garchomp, standby for battle!" A dark blue dragon Pokémon that resembled both a hammerhead shark and a jet plane appeared crouched down and partially covered by its fins protruding from its arms. Garchomp lowered the fins and roared a challenge to the skies and glared at Sceptile. Sceptile returned the glare and raised his arms in a defensive position.

"Garchomp versus Sceptile," the referee announced, "Ready? Begin!"

"Garchomp, Dragonbreath!" Noah ordered. Garchomp opened its maw and green flames came spewing out towards Sceptile.

"Dodge, then use Razor Leaf!" I commanded. Sceptile leaped to the side, the fire missing, and with a flick of his hand, Sceptile had several sharp leafs in his hand. With another flick, Sceptile threw the Razor Leaf attack at Garchomp, who merely covered itself with its arm-fins. The Razor Leaf struck Garchomp, but appeared to do little damage.

"Alright Garchomp, use Dig!" Noah said. Responding with a snarl, Garchomp disappeared under the ground. I knew that Garchomp are fast, both above ground and below it, so I was going to have to move fast.

"Sceptile, the instant you feel something like an attack, dive to the side and use Leaf Blade," I said calmly. Inwardly, I thought 'Curse his love of Dig!' A silence fell over the field; Sceptile was tensed to move, Leaf Blade at the ready, but no sign of Garchomp. I could feel a bead of sweat dripping down my face, but I made no move to wipe it away, as taking my eyes off the field for even a second could be devastating. There was a rumble and Sceptile launched himself to the side, swinging his arms behind him to catch any attack Garchomp might attempt. However, Garchomp didn't emerge at where Sceptile had been standing; it emerged right behind where Sceptile had landed.

"Dragon Claw!" Noah yelled as Sceptile spun and tried to slash Garchomp, but the Mach Pokémon was too fast, even for Sceptile, and slashed the Forest Pokémon with glowing red claws. Sceptile staggered back from the blow, rubbing his neck.

"Sceptile, try charging an Energy Ball!" I suggested. Sceptile nodded and the seeds on his back began to glow, a green ball of energy forming in Sceptile's mouth. By using the solar energy, Sceptile could make an Energy Ball even more powerful if given enough time to gather energy.

"Garchomp, Earth Power!" Noah said. Garchomp roared, a yellow glow appearing in its eyes. The Mach Pokémon slammed its wings on the ground, sending a wave of energy towards Sceptile while at the same time, the Forest Pokémon fired the Energy Ball, a meter wide in diameter. Both attacks connected at the same time, the earth around Sceptile erupting and bathing him in destructive energy while Garchomp took the full force of the powered-up Grass type attack. Sceptile had fallen once the energy had disappeared, whereas Garchomp looked to still be at full health. The nimble Grass type struggled back to his feet, but I could tell that last attack had taken a lot out of him.

"Sceptile, Iron Blade Close Combat," I said, "Give it everything you got." Sceptile panted a little bit more, then let out a battle cry and charged; long, green, and curved blades extending from his arms and a silver tail. Garchomp merely raised his arm-fins in defense. Sceptile began slashing and spinning, striking Garchomp repeatedly, but I couldn't hear any grunts of pain from Garchomp. Finally, Sceptile spun again and with a loud clang, sent Garchomp skidding backwards. Sceptile let the attacks fade as he stood there panting. Garchomp lowered his arms and glared at Sceptile, who took an involuntary step back

"Aerial Ace." Noah ordered. Garchomp roared and launched itself at Sceptile, taking flight as white streaks of energy surrounded the Mach Pokémon's body. Sceptile was unable to avoid the high speed attack and was launched into the air.

"Finish with Hyper Beam." The command was calm and confident, quiet, yet it carried across the field. Garchomp flew up above Sceptile and fired a powerful orange beam of energy, sending Sceptile crashing into the ground. I looked at my unconscious Grass type and grabbed his Pokéball.

"Sceptile is unable to battle, Garchomp wins!" the referee announced, drawing cheers from the crowd.

I recalled the Forest Pokémon. "You did fantastic, get a good rest. Leave the rest up to the others."

"And Noah gets on the board, with Garchomp defeating Sceptile with a bang!" the announcer said into his microphone, "What will Daniel do to try and stop this powerful Pokémon?" Garchomp stood on the other side of the field, looking fresh despite the fact that it had just taken down my Sceptile. My mind raced through the possibilities, wondering how to counter one of Noah's strongest Pokémon.

"Time to fight dragon with dragon," I announced, throwing a sky blue and navy blue Pokéball into the air. A blue dragon with a gray, armored belly and red wings burst out of the Pokéball with a loud roar. "Salamence, time for battle!" Salamence roared and took flight, hovering in the air above my head. Garchomp responded with an equally loud roar and crouched, ready to take flight as well.

"Well I'd certainly hate to get between these two powerful dragons," the announcer quipped, drawing a few chuckles from the crowd.

"Salamence versus Garchomp," the referee shouted, raising his flags, "Ready? Begin!"

Noah was quick on the draw this time. "Garchomp, Dragon Breath!" Garchomp roared and shot intense, green flames from its mouth towards the Dragon Pokémon across the field from him.

"Dodge, then use Flamethrower!" I ordered quickly. Salamence almost lazily flew above the green flames and inhaled, preparing to send a hot stream of fire, just as intense, back at the Mach Pokémon.

Right as Salamence exhaled and flames began flying, Noah was giving a command. "Dig!" Garchomp disappeared underground again, avoiding the flames easily.

I wagged a finger at Noah playfully. "You keep using that move, I'll make you realize your mistake of using it one too many times. Salamence, use Dragon Breath down the hole!" Salamence complied and soon green flames were rushing towards the latest hole in the ground.

Noah grinned at my audacity to poke fun in such a serious situation. "Aerial Ace!" With another roar, Garchomp emerged from the ground, surrounded by the white streaks of the Aerial Ace move, and also the green fire from Salamence's attack. The move looked like it belonged in a Pokémon Contest, as Garchomp had somehow infused some of the Dragon Breath into the Aerial Ace and it was that draconic energy that Garchomp used to slam into my surprised Salamence and to knock her away a few dozen feet. Salamence shook her head and bellowed her displeasure at Garchomp, who was flying higher into the sky.

"Use that anger to power up your Dragon Claw!" I ordered, "Don't let a Garchomp outfly you!" I knew my Salamence was a proud Pokémon, especially of her flight skills, and she let out a thunderous battle cry, chasing after the Dragon/Ground type trying to put distance between them.

"Use Dragon Breath to keep Salamence off your tail!" Noah shouted. Garchomp did an awkward twist in the air and shot several brief blasts of green fire at Salamence, but the maneuver cost Garchomp some twenty feet, as in order to fly well, Garchomp need to be in full "jet form". Salamence dodged all of the shots with an agility only seen in those who spent most of the time in the air. Like most Salamence, my Salamence loved to fly and would spend as little time as possible on the ground, practicing aerial combat maneuvers or just flying for the sake of flying. While she may not be able to fly at Mach speeds like a Garchomp or a Pidgeot, Salamence is still more than capable of holding her own in aerial combat, and this showed as she chased the Mach Pokémon around the arena. Whenever Garchomp tried to keep Salamence away with a Dragon Breath, Salamence would avoid the flames with a barrel roll or some other maneuver and gain a few yards at a time. It was enjoyable for me to watch, being Salamence's trainer. Finally Salamence caught up and dove down onto Garchomp, slashing with extended green claws. Garchomp at last let out a roar of pain as the two dragons began to fall back to earth. As they neared the ground, Salamence kicked Garchomp away, letting him slam into the ground and flying away, letting loose a call of triumph. Dust scattered everywhere, clouding my vision of Noah's side of the battlefield.

"And Salamence SLAMS Garchomp into the ground. Could this be the end of Garchomp?" the announcer asked

Salamence hovered in front of me, looking for a little petting. "Not now girl, I don't think this is over yet," I warned, peering through the dust. A low growl confirmed my fears. Then a Dragon Breath came zooming out of the dust, slamming into Salamence and knocking her to the ground. The dust cleared up revealing Garchomp, who was panting a little, but otherwise looked unharmed.

"Looks like Garchomp just loves to prove me wrong," the announcer commented, "Looks like it'll take more than that to beat this dragon."

"You got that right," Noah said, "Garchomp has the best defense on this team. Now use Dragon Breath again!" More green fire came from Garchomp's maw, speeding towards Salamence.

"Dodge it, then use Aqua Tail!" I shouted. Salamence flapped her wings and dodged the Dragon Breath, her tail surrounded by streams of aquatic energy. Salamence charged, roaring her challenge to all who could hear.

"Block it," Noah ordered. Garchomp raised his arm fins and stood his ground as Salamence struck with all her might. Garchomp went skidding back a solid foot in distance. "Dragon Breath!" The green flames slammed into Salamence and sent her crashing into the ground on my side of the field.

"Hang in there Salamence," I called, "Try using Aerial Ace!"

"Hyper Beam!" The orange beam of raw energy slammed into Salamence and created a minor explosion. I covered my face from the shock wave created by the explosion. Once the wave had passed, I peered out to survey the carnage. Salamence was slumped onto the ground, wings drooping sadly.

"Salamence is unable to battle, Garchomp is the winner!" the referee announced, raising his red flag after peering at the Dragon Pokémon.

"And with another stunning reversal, Noah has evened the score with four Pokémon remaining for each side," commented the announcer, "And with halftime just one more knocked out Pokémon away, both Trainers are sure to want that key advantage of a lead."

"Garchomp, return!" Noah said, holding up his Pokéball. I saw Garchomp crouch down before it was sucked back into the ball. "Good job buddy, we're right back in this one."

"Not for long," I countered as I reached for a pink and brown Pokéball on my belt. "Gallade, time for battle!" A thin Pokémon with a white lower half, green upper half and extendable arm blades appeared and took up a combat stance.

Noah appeared thoughtful. "Gallade, huh? Well then." He threw a Pokéball into the air. "Torterra, standby for battle!" A bulky green and brown tortoise with an even bulkier shell that had several boulders and a tree sticking out of it formed from the flash of light and pawed the ground forcefully, creating a groove in the field. The sheer weight of the Continent Pokémon created several vibrations in the ground that even humans could feel

"Looks like Daniel is going for speed and precision while Noah is opting for power and endurance," the announcer noted, "It seems that the age old "offense versus defense" conundrum is going to be tested once again."

"There will be a twenty minute halftime when this round is completed," the referee announced to everyone, "and if nobody has any objections to that." He paused briefly, then continued, "Then Gallade versus Torterra! Ready?" He waved his flags into the air again. "Begin!"

Again, Noah beat me to the first command, despite the relative speed disadvantage his Pokémon had in relation to mine. "Torterra, use Leaf Storm!"

"Terra!" the Continent Pokémon bellowed, and the tree on its back began blowing a brighter shade of green, sending a storm of leaves from its branches towards Gallade.

I grinned. "Use Psychic to redirect the leaves back to Torterra, then follow it with Stone Edge!" Gallade's eyes began to glow bright blue, and the same blue light surrounded the leaves. They began to veer away and shoot back at the Continent Pokémon. Gallade then raised his arms, creating two rings of orbiting sharp stones. With a sharp cry, Gallade pointed his arm blades at Torterra, who was weathering the redirected Leaf Storm. The leaves were soon replaced with stones and Torterra was bunkering down, belly low to the ground, grunting as he endured the barrage of attacks.

"Stop the attack with Earthquake!" Noah commanded. Torterra grunted and reared up on his hind legs, exposing his belly briefly to the barrage to stone, then stomped down onto the ground, shaking the entire stadium. Gallade ended his Stone Edge and crouched down, widening his stance to maintain his footing. Once the shock wave had passed, Gallade straightened up and raised his arm blades.

"Way to hang in there Gallade, use Psychic!" I said, straightening up as well. I never really enjoyed experiencing an Earthquake attack. They always made my legs feel like jelly, which can be very distracting during a battle. Gallade's eye began to glow blue again, and Gallade smashed his arms down on the ground, unleashing a wave of psychic energy towards Torterra.

"Torrrr," I heard it growl as it braced itself. The energy slammed into Torterra with enough force to knock it stumbling backwards a couple of paces. It may not seem like much, only a couple of paces, but for a Pokémon that weighed almost 700 pounds it was impressive enough, especially since Gallade are not renowned for their special attacks. Their physical attacks however…

"Follow it up with the Psycho Night Close Combat!" Gallade extended both his arm blades to their full length and charged. One blade glowed pink with a Psycho Cut; the other turned black with the dark energy of a Night Slash. Gallade began slashing Torterra repeatedly, giving the Grass/Ground type no room for a counter, or so I thought. Psycho Cut from above, Night Slash from the side, it was almost too fast to keep track of

"Stone Edge!" Noah shouted after the initial flurry of strikes. Now it was Torterra's turn to create two orbiting rings of sharp rocks and at such a close range, the Continent Pokémon couldn't miss. Gallade was buffeted over and over by the stones until he back flipped away from Torterra, performed a handspring and landed with his arm blades extended and glowing green this time with the essence of a Leaf Blade attack. The Grass-type move was wielded expertly by Gallade in destroying the rest of the Stone Edge attack.

"Terra!" Torterra barked suddenly in excitement, obviously sending a signal to his Trainer.

Noah grinned. "If you say so. Do it!" Torterra ended the Stone Edge and reared up again. I kneeled on the ground, expecting another Earthquake, but when the Sinnoh region starter Pokémon slammed into the ground, I was startled to see several huge, thorny vines erupt from the ground and slam into Gallade. The Blade Pokémon was thrown back to my side of the field.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried, as the Frenzy Plant attack disappeared back into the ground, the only evidence of their existence being the torn up field in front of the Continent Pokémon. Torterra settled back into its normal position and was motionless as it began to recharge.

Gallade stood up shakily, then let out a battle cry and regained a steady stance. "Gallade!" (I'm fine!)

"You sure?" I asked again, not wanting to push him too hard. If he needs rest, then I was ready to take him out.

Gallade simply sent me a telepathic message, more emotion than words. He sent me a feeling of pride and the sheer desire to at least finish this round, win or lose. I smiled as I contemplated Gallade's feelings. Gallade sent me another telepathic message, this one conveying what move he wanted to use.

"Go ahead, finish the round and get us to halftime," I said simply. Gallade nodded and charged towards the still motionless Torterra, extending his arm blades and dragging them along the ground, creating sparks around the pink energy of the Psycho Cut Gallade intended to use. Leaping high into the air, Gallade spun and began to slash at Torterra repeatedly. After a few seconds of this elegant attack, as Gallade could make any attack, even improvised ones, look graceful, Torterra gave a start and groaned in pain.

"And it looks like Torterra is done recharging. Now how will Noah get out from this onslaught?" the announcer asked.

"Like this!" Noah shouted, "Crunch!" Torterra reared up and bit down on Gallade's left arm blade, drawing simultaneous gasps from both Gallade and I.

"Gal!" the Blade Pokémon cried and began to hammer away at Torterra's head with his right arm blade, desperately trying to get away, remembering the semifinal battle against my little brother's Luxray.

"Giga Drain!" was the next order. The boulders on Torterra's shell turned a bright green, with the same color green tentacles growing from the boulders and attaching to Gallade. The green light pulsed and Gallade's struggles began to lose their 'oomph' as the Psychic/Fighting type was leeched of his energy. I saw some of Torterra's wounds heal from the energy stolen from Gallade.

"And Noah once again turns the tables on Daniel!" the announcer shouted.

"Gallade, use Psychic to get free!" I yelled, frustrated at Noah's resourcefulness somehow saving his bacon yet again. We had both earned each other's respect over the years, having hatched our first Pokémon within a day of the other and enjoying a rivalry fiercer than an Aqua-Magma clash. Despite the rivalry, we were great friends too, training together occasionally, teaming up for tag battle competitions; we even worked together to get my best friend Caitlynn's Plusle and Minun back when they were stolen by a Team Rocket grunt. So as Gallade's eyes glowed blue once again, I was smiling on the inside at the intensity of our battle. Adrenaline does crazy things to a person, especially in the heat of the moment. A blue aura appeared around Torterra and the Continent Pokémon's jaws were pried open and Gallade extracted himself from both the Crunch and Giga Drain attacks, but it was obvious that they had taken its toll on the Blade Pokémon.

"Finish with Frenzy Plant!" Noah ordered and once again, the giant vines came shooting out of the ground and swatted Gallade to the side like he was nothing but an annoying fly. I reached for Gallade's Pokéball, as both he and I knew that it was finished. Even knocked unconscious, Gallade looked peaceful, as if he had passed out knowing he had tried his hardest. I felt a surge of pride for him, even as the referee announced that Gallade was unable to battle. I recalled the fallen Blade Pokémon and began to walk back to the locker room for halftime. I scanned the stands for my friends and family as I made my way to the tunnel. I saw my little brother, whom I had defeated on the way to this bout with Noah, along with the rest of my family; Mom, Dad, and my little sister Melissa, who cared more for Contests than battling, waving their arms from their seats while a good chunk of the crowd had gotten up to hit the concession stands. I waved back and continued looking for my best friend, who I had glimpsed earlier in the battle, but now, now I couldn't find her. She usually had her Plusle and Minun with her, which is normally more than enough to help me easily find her in a crowd, but for the life of me, I couldn't spot either one of her electric types nor Caitlynn herself. Perplexed, I gave up my impromptu search and entered the tunnel, ignoring the reporter trying to find out my second-half strategy now that I was trailing. As if I didn't need any reminders about losing three rounds in a row. I made for the safety of the locker room and slammed the door shut on the paparazzi.

"That's not gonna do you any favors with the media," a female voice commented from within the locker room.

"Like I cared about what the media thinks," I replied, grinning. Sitting on one of the benches in front of me was my best friend, arms crossed as her Plusle and Minun ran up to me, nuzzling me in their excitement and their natural tendencies to cheer people up. Plusle was a small yellow bipedal Pokemon with red ears, hands, and a red plus sign-shaped tail and red cheeks with a yellow plus sign in the middle. Minun was almost identical to Plusle, except with blue instead of red and minus signs instead of plus signs. Caitlynn was a slender, attractive young woman; her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail for this event. Her milk chocolate colored eyes met mine as she whistled her two electric types back to her.

"I'm just saying, you treat them like crap and they'll be all over you if you lose," she warned

"Then I simply won't lose," I countered with a smile, "How'd you get in here so quickly anyways? I didn't think people were allowed in here during halftime."

"Getting to the top four of the U21 Maryland Grand Festival really helps if you want to get to some places," Caitlynn explained.

"In a battle arena?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Turns out the guard is a fan of mine. Said he liked rooting for the underdog last year."

"So what will that mean now that you've established yourself as a contender now?"

Caitlynn stuck her tongue out at me. "Like I have to worry about what one fan thinks. Besides, I'm not here to argue about me. What happened out there? You were kicking Noah's backside from here to Japan, then next thing I know, you're the one getting your butt kicked."

"Hey, I beat his strongest Pokémon," I said defensively, "It's his second strongest that's giving me trouble."

"Yeah, no kidding," Caitlynn replied, "And then that fight against Torterra. You knew he was drawing you in so he couldn't miss with Frenzy Plant, he's used that against you in the past!"

I shrugged. "I gambled on Gallade's ability to get a critical hit before Torterra could respond. Obviously, it didn't work."

"You shouldn't rely on luck to win battles, especially against Noah, of all people," Caitlynn warned as I sat down on the bench next to her, having picked up her Cheering Pokémon and I began to scratch the two Electric types in their favorite spots; right behind their ears. Plusle began cooing gently in appreciation while Minun's leg began twitching by reflex.

"Luck sure is a fickle lady," I commented, smiling at the Cheering Pokémon's reactions.

"And she'll abandon you for someone else faster than Lauren did back in tenth grade," Caitlynn continued.

I winced at the memory. "Did you really have to bring that up?"

Caitlynn grinned that devilish grin of hers. "If that's what it takes to get you back to relying on skill, then yes, I did."

"You women are evil," I joked, "playing with my emotions like that."

"Remember what happened during the halftime of the semifinal when you got me mad enough?" Caitlynn asked, "Don't push it, since you have Plusle and Minun in your lap." I could feel the blood drain from my face as I recalled the painful shock I'd been given. While it had certainly helped to shock me to my senses (pun intended), it's rarely an enjoyable experience getting shocked. Plusle only emphasized Caitlynn's point by releasing a few sparks from her cheeks.

"I swear, if you were a Pokémon, you'd be a fire type," I said, scratching Plusle in her favorite spot again. "You've certainly got the fiery spirit of one."

Caitlynn laughed and put her hand on my shoulder. "I'll just take the compliment. No need to be so tense."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Can't you feel how tensed you are?"

"Not really, I've been kind of numb since Garchomp beat Salamence."

"You're muscles are as hard as a Steelix," Caitlynn said, picking up her Electric types and placing them on my shoulders. "Plusle, Minun, use your electricity to get rid of all this tension." I tried to tense up in anticipation of the shocks, but then realized what Caitlynn was talking about. I really did need to relax, as I was too tense to tense up even more. I felt a tingling sensation begin and a soothing, relaxing sensation began to travel across my body. Plusle and Minun together are well known for promoting blood circulation and relaxing muscles by combining their electrical powers. I could certainly feel it working on me. This electric shock therapy was very popular in both hospitals and spas.

"I'd forgotten how good this feels," I commented, "Thanks!"

"It's always nice to have these two available after a long stressful day," Caitlynn said, "I'm just sharing the gift they have."

A loud roar from the crowd startled everyone present in the locker room, which ending the electrical massage I was receiving from the Cheering Pokémon. Plusle and Minun both jumped down from my shoulders into Caitlynn's lap and began looking around fearfully.

"What was that all about?" I asked, confused and glancing at my watch, "I still have five minutes before I have to be back out there."

"Probably the show put on by the guest Coordinator from the Hoenn region in Japan," Caitlynn speculated. She began soothing her frightened Pokémon "There, there, it's okay you two."

"Must have been one heck of a show to get the crowd going like that!" I remarked, "Who could it be?"

"May Maple," Caitlynn answered simply, "This is her final stop on her US tour and she'll be headed back to Japan to compete in more Contests soon. The head of the Battling Committee managed to get her to do the halftime show and she's probably done something spectacular."

"Isn't she younger than both of us?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything. Just look at what your brother managed to do this year, and he's even younger than May!"

"Point taken," I conceded, "You should probably get back to your seat. Thanks for visiting!"

Caitlynn stood up, leaned over, and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Good luck!" Her Plusle and Minun climbed back up into their usual spots on her shoulders and my best friend slipped out the door. Now it was just me and my thoughts. My oh-so traitorous thoughts, trying to drag me down with doubt. It's funny how the mind works in stressful situations. For some people, they live for the moment. Others freeze, mired in self-doubt. Some are like me, dealing with a cacophony of mental doubts in high-pressure situations. Most of the time, I could banish the doubts and keep my cool, but as proved by last year's debacle, there was a chance that I could freeze up. I was determined to prevent that from happening.

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Caitlynn's POV

After signing the guard's hat as thanks for letting me in and not the paparazzi, I ran towards the stairs, ignoring the flashes from the press that still hoped to bother my friend. I've always found it perplexing how people automatically assume that whenever a guy and a girl are great friends, they have to go out as a couple sooner or later. So I kissed the guy a couple of times, big whoop. It worked in the semifinals, why not try it in the finals. As that one commercial said, it's only weird if it doesn't work. Daniel shared the same idea with me and we've managed to resist the peer pressure. Somehow, I just knew a tabloid was going to print something about me and Daniel being a couple sooner or later. We were gaining fame with our exploits, even if we hadn't won anything yet. Yet as I sprinted up the steps to get back to my seat, I could hear the announcer revving up the crowd for the second half and I didn't want to miss any of the action. Plusle and Minun clung tight to my shoulders as I dodged through the crowd, avoiding the snacks they had gathered during the intermission. One of the worst things one could do at major sporting events is ruining another spectator's snack. I learned from experience when I spilled the beer of another fan once and if my father hadn't been there, well, I'd rather not talk about that. I heard the announcer welcome Noah back onto the field as I escaped the tunnel and began to dart down the stairs towards my seat. I climbed over a couple of spectators nimbly, but still got a few insults thrown my way. There is just no dealing with some people. I landed in my seat next to my little sister, who was chatting with Daniel's brother, David, just as the door opened on Daniel's tunnel.

"And now here comes Daniel, who's down in numbers, but certainly not out of the match, not by a long shot!" the announcer yelled into his microphone as my best friend walked calmly to the marked Trainer box on the field. He definitely looked more relaxed than when he went into the tunnel.

"I think you two really did the trick," I commented to my two electric types, "He looks ready to win this!" I could see Daniel exchanging some words with Noah, though what exactly was said, I couldn't hear. Daniel grinned, then grabbed a blue and brown Pokéball off his belt and threw it in a simultaneous motion with Noah and his Pokéball. I felt Plusle and Minun tense up as Daniel's Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. It may not have been the most intimidating Pokémon, standing at about five feet in height, but the cobalt blue Pokémon with orange gills protruding from its cheeks and three black fins; two smaller ones on the head and one large one that served as her tail, was quietly one of Daniel's strongest Pokémon, at least when it came to brute strength. Still, Plusle and Minun have a fear of Ground types and even though they've spent plenty of time around Daniel's Swampert, they still couldn't help being a little afraid. On Noah's side of the field, a large penguin-like Pokémon materialized on his side of the field. Standing between five and six feet, Empoleon stood proudly in front of its Trainer. It looked a lot like a penguin, but with blue trim around the black part of its "tuxedo" and a large, trident shaped horn protruding from its beak, but given that its wings were built to split ice flows easily, Empoleon was definitely NOT a cute and cuddly penguin.

"It looks like this second half of the Maryland State Final U21 Division is going to begin with a clash of two powerful Water types," the announcer said as the two Pokémon let out their battle cries, "as Daniel is going with Swampert while Noah opts for Empoleon." A hush fell over the stadium as the referee raised his flags.

"You can do it Dan!" I yelled in the brief silence, embarrassing my sister and drawing attention from the surrounding people.

"We will now resume the match between Daniel of Indian Head and Noah of Waldorf and both sides will continue until one Trainer is out of usable Pokémon," the referee announced, "and if both Trainers are ready, then begin!"

-line break-

Daniel's POV

I heard Caitlynn's shout of encouragement and turned to see my best friend standing in her seat while the referee did his little speech. Her sister was facepalming at Caitlynn's outburst while my little brother, who was sitting next to them, waved at me, giving me his little signature grin of encouragement. I winked at Caitlynn as the referee waved his flag to signal the start of the second half. I turned back to the field to see Empoleon gathering a silvery white energy in its beak and my Swampert looking at me for guidance.

"Trying to strike while your opponent isn't looking?" I asked teasingly, "I thought you had more honor than that. Yet here you are, trying to use Flash Cannon while my back is turned"

Noah grinned. "And I thought you knew better than to turn your back in the middle of a battle. Empoleon, fire!" The silver energy beam seemed to flow like quicksilver as it flew towards my Mud Fish Pokémon.

"Duck and use Mud Shot!" I ordered quickly. My Water/Ground type dove to the side, landing on all fours and inhaled deeply. Opening her mouth, Swampert unleashed several small globes of mud towards the Emperor Pokémon standing on the far side of the field.

"Ice Beam!" The silver energy in Empoleon's beak dissipated and a new, icy-blue energy took its place. Instead of releasing the energy in a beam, Empoleon fired a broad wave of icy energy that froze all of the incoming mud balls. Swampert lifted her arms defensively to ward off the attack, but as the remains of the altered Ice Beam approached, the energy faded and turned into a snowflakes, covering the middle of the field in a light frost.

"Noah counters with an Ice Beam that hasn't stopped Swampert's Mud Shot at all!" the announcer commented.

"Metal Claw!" Noah shouted. Empoleon's wings began to glow with a bright, silvery energy and the Water/Steel type began to attack the frozen mud balls, shattering all of them into tiny, harmless fragments. "Now use Drill Peck!" Empoleon lowered his wings, the silver glow fading rapidly. Another glow began, this one on his face, as the beak and trident horns began to glow white with power. Empoleon jumped and began spinning rapidly, corkscrewing through the air onto my side of the battlefield, aiming at Swampert.

"Catch it!" I said, drawing gasps from a few who heard, "then use Mud Shot!" Swampert crouched, trying to time it just right, her arms out like a sumo wrestler ready to rumble. There was a loud clap, as Swampert brought her hands together just a tad too early and Empoleon slammed into Swampert's gut, drilling in for a couple of seconds, then leaping out just as quickly.

"Hydro Pump!" Noah shouted. Empoleon's beak began glowing aqua blue and he fired a powerful stream of water at point blank range at Swampert. The Mud Fish Pokémon raised her powerful arms up and blocked as much of the attack as she could, but the sheer power forced her backwards, furrows forming as Swampert tried to dig in and withstand the attack.

"Protect!" I yelled, still feeling relaxed amazingly. That electro therapy from Caitlynn's Plusle and Minun really did the trick. Swampert grunted and a green force field bubbled outwards, stopping the Hydro Pump from doing any more damage. After the torrent of water died, so too did the force field.

"Ice Beam!" we both yelled simultaneously. The two water types opened their mouths and unleashed icy blue jagged beams of energy which collided in midair. Ice chunks flew everywhere as the two water types tried to overcome the other through sheer willpower.

"Come on Swampert, you can do it!" I yelled encouragingly. Swampert let out a cry and the Ice Beam increased in intensity. The point where the two Ice Beams had collided began to shift towards Empoleon.

"Don't let a girl beat you!" Noah shouted, drawing a few shouts from some of the aggravated females in the crowd, the content of which I'd rather not repeat. However, it did the trick. Empoleon are well known for being extremely proud, and Noah's Emperor Pokémon was no exception. Empoleon shouted something in his language and returned the favor, upping the ante again and sending the collision point between the two icy attacks back to the center of the battlefield. With a final icy explosion that released both several chunks of ice and a miniature snow shower, both Swampert and Empoleon simply ran out of icy energy. Once the snow settled, the results of the stalemate drew applause from the crowd: the Ice Beams had created a jagged mound of crystal clear ice. I could see distorted images of Noah and his Empoleon through the ice and there were rainbows forming from the sunlight refracting through the ice, forming a contrasting image of a Contest to the battle raging on around it.

"Two Ice Beams make a Blizzard and a weird ice sculpture," I commented dryly. "Swampert, use Hammer Arm to get rid of this obstruction."

"Empoleon, use Metal Claw to help," Noah ordered. As the two Pokemon began chipping away at the ice, murmurs began to rumble throughout the crowd.

"And would you look at that, folks!" the announcer said, "This is a true display of sportsmanship, working together to clear the mess when just seconds ago these two water types were fighting their hardest against each other. Let's give these Trainers a hand!" I gave an 'awe, shucks' kind of wave while Noah grinned and saluted the crowd as the cheers rained down. Once the ice was mostly cleared, Swampert and Empoleon shook hands and returned to their Trainer's side of the field, then took up a battle stance; Swampert on all fours and Empoleon with his wings in a battle-ready pose.

"Let's finish this!" Noah yelled.

I nodded and decided to seize the initiative. "Swampert, Mud Shot!" Once again, Swampert opened her mouth and fired several balls of mud in Empoleon's direction. I figured that the icy energy needed to launch an Ice Beam had been depleted and would take some time to recharge, so I was curious as to how Noah was going to counter the Ground type move this time. I didn't have to wait long.

"Hydro Cannon!" came the simple order. I could see a dangerous gleam appear in Empoleon's eye before a light, aquatic blue light began to shine in his eyes. Empoleon opened his beak to reveal a growing light blue ball of water before firing the powerful blast of water. The Hydro Cannon tore through the Mud Shot easily and continued on at an extremely high speed straight for Swampert.

It was way too fast to dodge, so "Block it!" Swampert barely got her arms up in time before the cannon charge reached and exploded with such ferocity that I had to cover my face from the winds generated from the explosion. I looked up to see Swampert still standing, albeit looking a little woozy from the attack. Without warning, a light blue aura surrounded Swampert and she perked up noticeably.

"It was only a matter of time before the Torrent ability came into play," the announcer commented, "And it looks like Daniel and Swampert are getting first dibs on Torrent's power."

"And you better believe I'm gonna put that power to good use!" I said, throwing my fist at Noah's general direction, "Go, Swampert! Hammer Tail!" Swampert shouted a cry to the heavens and charged, her arms glowing white with the energy from a Hammer Arm attack while her tail began to gently glow a light blue, with streams of water swirling around in an almost hypnotic way, with the essence of an Aqua Tail attack. Empoleon tried to get out of the way, but the way his wings were drooping and how heavily the Emperor Pokémon was breathing, it was obvious the Water/Steel type was still exhausted from the aftereffects of the Hydro Cannon. The Mud Fish Pokémon began to strike at Empoleon repeatedly. While she wasn't as quick as Sceptile or Blaziken when it came to a Close Combat Combination, the Water/Ground type definitely made up for it with raw power. A double blow from the Hammer Arms followed by a spinning Aqua Tail, with a Hammer Arm uppercut trailing that sent Empoleon spinning. He perked up a little, the Hydro Cannon recharge time apparently over.

"Fight back with Metal Claw!" Noah shouted. Empoleon's wings turned silver and he began to parry Swampert's seemingly flailing arms, avoiding any more super-effective hits from the Fighting type attack. The Mud Fish Pokemon followed another parry with a neat move, jumping over a counter-strike from Empoleon, putting one arm down on the ground to use as a pivot point to spin herself with raw physical strength and land another Aqua Tail attack. Empoleon growled and initiated the next series of attacks, unleashing a simple one-two combination of Metal Claw attacks, not allowing Swampert to attack at all and forcing the Water/Ground type back to my side of the field. The close combat was broken with a devastating uppercut that knocked Swampert reeling backwards several yards.

Swampert shook her head to try and clear the sudden onset of cobwebs. She had to keep fighting. After failing her Trainer in the semifinals, she was determined to make up for it in the most important battle of her Trainer's life. The Mud Fish Pokémon straightened, feeling the cool power from her Torrent ability flowing through her veins. It was a chilly feeling, a power she had rarely needed to use. When the Water/Ground type had talked with Blaziken and Sceptile about their respective abilities, Blaziken had described it as a fiery inferno that, if not properly trained, threatened to consume his sanity, despite the raw power it gave. Sceptile described it as though he had stepped into the sunlight; warm and refreshing, yet as strong as an adrenaline burst at the same time. She called her ability an icy rush of power that soothed her aching muscles. Swampert recalled, back when they were in their younger stages of evolution, how when their abilities activated, they would struggle to contain the sudden rush of energy. Torchic and Combusken had to constantly release fire or risk losing control. Treecko and Grovyle had to keep moving or risk taking root. The roots were only temporary, like an Ingrain attack, but Swampert could remember having to cover for Grovyle while he cut himself free in a Double Battle. As a Mudkip and as a Marshtomp, the Mud Fish Pokemon could remember struggling to prevent the chilly power from slowing her down significantly. Shortly before she had evolved for the second and final time, she could remember actually freezing over thanks to the icy energy from Torrent, combining the internal energy from the Torrent with the Ice Beam she had tried to use at the time. The dual type Pokemon could remember her Trainer ending the battle immediately and spending the rest of the afternoon working on defrosting her frigid body. She loved her Trainer for that and the bond they shared has remained strong to this day. That was why she fought through the pain that last Metal Claw attack had caused and stood back up.

"Drill Peck!" the Mud Fish Pokemon heard her Trainer's rival, and by extension her rival, call to the Emperor Pokemon that stood about a dozen and a half yards away. Her counterpart smirked at her and began to spin, his beak glowing white. Swampert froze, metaphorically, not literally, unsure of what to do. She remembered the first time the Water/Steel type used that attack and she wasn't eager for a replay, especially since the Mud Fish Pokemon doubted she'd be able to get back up.

"Hammer Arm!" came the sure command from her Trainer. Swampert smiled and began to concentrate, building the energy in her powerful arms, which manifested itself in a white glow on her arms. As Empoleon launched himself at her, Swampert recalled a memory, not too terribly long ago. It was a game that her Trainer and his friend, Caitlynn, had set up. Swampert couldn't quite remember the name, something with volley. What she recalled was her Trainer hitting the ball with his hand over to Caitlynn's side of the net and Blaziken leaping up and smashing the ball right back at him. With that in mind, Swampert raised her right arm, ignoring the cheers from the crowd, the frantic commentary from the announcer, and other distractions: she was focused on Empoleon and Empoleon only. As the Emperor Pokemon drew closer and closer, closing the distance quickly, the Mud Fish Pokemon finally reacted.

'Now! For Daniel!' she thought and brought her arm crashing down onto Empoleon with perfect timing, spiking the penguin-like Pokemon into the ground.

"Well done," grunted Empoleon from his prone position, which brought a smile to Swampert's face as the Water/Steel type fell unconscious.

-Another POV switch-

I couldn't help but smile as my Water/Ground type spiked Empoleon into the ground, the super effective Fighting type move got the job done and brought my rival and I back to level terms.

"Empoleon is unable to battle," the referee yelled after a short inspection of the fallen Emperor Pokémon, "Swampert wins!"

"What a match between two powerful Water type Pokemon!" the announcer yelled, "We're down to a three on three match. Daniel has Swampert, Blaziken, and one more unknown while Noah has Torterra, Garchomp, and an unknown Pokemon in reserve. Who has what it takes to win the title? Let's find out!"

I wagged a finger at Noah again. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Noah rolled his eyes as he recalled the Sinnoh region starter Pokemon. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You used Drill Peck earlier in the battle like that and it worked," I explained. "The next time you tried it, I beat it."

"It's not like I was being tricky about it."

I shrugged. "It sounded cooler in my head. Let's keep this battle rolling!"

Noah grinned. "I thought you'd never ask." He grabbed a Pokéball off his belt and threw it. "Torterra, standby for battle!" The Continent Pokemon reappeared on the battlefield, looking ready for anything. The Grass/Ground type narrowed his eyes when he saw Swampert, wondering what I was up to, sending a Water/Ground Type against him

"Noah appears to go for type matchups in this round," the announcer said, "Swampert's only weakness is to Grass types, and wouldn't you know it, Torterra is a Grass type. It does have a double weakness to Ice type moves, being part Ground as well, and as we saw just moments ago, Swampert knows Ice Beam. So it looks like this round will be decided by who lands the first devastating blow!"

"Thank you MOTO," I grumbled as I motioned to the referee that I wasn't switching. He nodded and raised his flags to begin the next round of the battle.

"Swampert versus Torterra, ready? Begin!" The referee yelled, lowering his flags.

"Torterra! Let's go for the one-hit KO! Leaf Storm!" Noah shouted, throwing his fist in the air. The tree on Torterra's back began glowing bright green and a swirling cloud of leaves began flying towards Swampert, who still had a blue aura surrounding her thanks to her special ability, Torrent.

"Protect!" I ordered calmly. Swampert created a green force field just in time, as the Leaf Storm slammed into the protective field with such force that the entire sphere was knocked backwards a couple feet. "Now Mud Shot!" The Mud Fish Pokemon dropped the Protect as soon as the Leaf Storm ended and unleashed a steady stream of mud at Torterra. The Continent Pokemon held his ground and endured the attack, a rumbling growl emanating from the Grass type's throat. Mud sprayed everywhere, coating the field with a fine layer of mud. Torterra shook his head, trying to prevent the mud from dripping into his eyes.

"Stone Edge!" Noah commanded. Torterra created another couple of rings of orbiting stones which circled his tree a few times before shooting towards Swampert at a high velocity.

I figured it would be a bit of a gamble, but in a battle this intense, I couldn't afford to play it cautious. "Hydro Pump!" Swampert must have had the same idea, as no sooner had the words left my mouth than a high pressured blast of water was unleashed by the Mud Fish Pokemon and the two attacks collided in the center of the battlefield. The Stone Edge took some of the bite out of the Hydro Pump as it continued through and splashed over Torterra. Likewise, some of the Stone Edge escaped the Hydro Pump and struck Swampert. Both Pokemon were breathing heavily, as they were obviously on their last legs.

"It looks like the next successful attack is going to win this round!" The announcer yelled. I caught Noah's eye and he nodded. This was indeed going to be the last series of attacks in this round.

"Torterra, finish with Frenzy Plant!" Noah shouted.

"Swampert, end this with Ice Beam!" I shouted at the same time. Torterra reared up and slammed his front legs down; summoning several huge thorny vines that launched themselves at Swampert. At the same time, Swampert created an icy blue ball of energy in her mouth and fired a jagged beam of the icy energy through the hole in the Frenzy Plant. I could do nothing but watch in slow motion as my Swampert was swatted aside by the 4X super effective ultimate Grass type move, much like Gallade had been right before halftime. Simultaneously, Torterra was frozen solid by the Ice Beam briefly before the ice shattered and Torterra keeled over, defeated by his own super weakness. I couldn't care less about the fact that Torterra was down; my eyes were following Swampert's flight before she was stopped abruptly by the arena wall. Needless to say, the Mud Fish Pokemon was out cold as well.

The referee waved both his flags as the vines retreated once more into the ground, signaling the end of the round. "Both Pokemon are unable to battle, the result is a tie! Trainers, pick your next Pokemon and we shall continue."

"Wow, a double knockout!" the announcer yelled. I could just picture him standing up on his chair in excitement. "This is it, two Pokemon left for each side. Both have one fresh Pokemon and one Pokemon that's participated in this amazing battle; Blaziken for Daniel and Garchomp for Noah. Let's see what these two Trainers have in store for us next!"

"You were outstanding Swampert," I said as I recalled the Water/Ground type back into her light brown and blue custom colored Pokéball. "Thank you." I looked up to see Noah comforting his fallen Grass type before it too was sucked back into his Pokéball.

"That was gutsy," Noah said, "If Torterra had snuck that Leaf Storm in-"

"If 'ifs' and 'buts' were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas," I interrupted. "Are you gonna dwell on what could've been or are you gonna battle?"

Noah grinned. "There's the fire that was missing last year. Alright then, since you're so impatient to lose." He grabbed a Pokéball off his belt, a Great Ball to be precise. "I guarantee you'll be shocked by this one."

"I'm ready for your Magnezone," I countered, grabbing a brown and silver Pokéball off my belt. "Lucario, time for battle!" A predominantly blue and black furred bipedal canine-like Pokemon with a cream colored torso appeared from the ball, kneeling on both knees in a meditation position. The Aura Pokemon opened its red eyes and stood up, glaring at Noah the entire time.

"I'm not using Magnezone anymore," Noah said. "I caught this feisty one a few months ago and with a little help from Sara managed to unlock most of his power with a trade. Electivire, standby for battle!" A bipedal humanoid creature covered in yellow and black fur, with two antennae resembling electric nodes on its head and two long black tails with red tips materialized in front of Noah. It growled at Lucario and me, electricity crackling between the nodes on its head.

I was surprised, as I remember Noah fondly raising his Magnemite, one of his favorites, over the years. "Where's Magnezone now?"

"At home, helping Mom around the house," Noah answered, "He just couldn't compare to the raw power of Electivire here. That, and I knew you'd be expecting another Steel type, so I'm prepared for your tactics!"

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," I shot back.

"Lucario versus Electivire," the referee announced, interrupting our banter. "Ready? Begin!"

"Aura Sphere!" I yelled. Lucario held his paws behind him, building up aura energy into a bright blue sphere before extending his paws in front of him, shooting the ball of energy at a high speed at the Thunderbolt Pokemon across the battlefield.

"Protect!" Noah ordered calmly. Electivire crossed its thick arms in front of itself and created a glowing yellow shield that successfully blocked the incoming Aura Sphere.

I was surprised. "A purely defensive move? That's quite a change from your all out attacking style."

Noah grinned. "Then this'll be par for the course. Electivire, Thunder!" The Electric type gathered electrical energy around it, surrounding itself in a cocoon of sparks before it extended its arms and send a powerful thunderbolt towards Lucario.

"Bone Rush Counter!" Lucario brought his paws together before separating them, creating a blue boned-shaped staff of energy. Lucario then planted the staff in the ground like a lightning rod, drawing the Thunder attack in and harmlessly grounded the electric attack.

Noah's grin was replaced with a frown. "Fine. Try grounding this attack! Thunderpunch!" Electivire's fists began crackling with electricity. The Thunderbolt Pokemon brought his fists together, letting a surge of electricity crackle over its frame before charging at Lucario, rearing its right fist back to strike.

"Use Ice Punch!" I shouted. The Aura Pokémon's fists began glowing with an icy blue energy as Lucario ducked under Electivire's punch and landed a quick series of one-two punches to Electivire's gut. Thanks to Ice Punch's secondary effect, Electivire's lower half was encased in a thick layer of ice, rooting it to the ground.

"And just like that, Electivire is stuck!" the announcer yelled. "What will happen next?"

"Lucario, use Metal Claw!" The spikes on the back of Lucario's paws turned silver and extended outward, morphing into three claws on each side. The Fighting/Steel type then began slashing repeatedly at Electivire's upper half, striking wherever Electivire's strong arms weren't blocking its vulnerable body.

"Use Thunder to get free!" Noah yelled. Electivire roared and electricity began to sparkle across its large frame. Lucario took a step back, shouted a battle cry, and charged right back in, continuing to hack away with Metal Claw. The strikes seemed even more powerful than before, much to my delight.

-POV switch-

Caitlynn's POV

"Wow, Lucario's Metal Claw looks even stronger than before!" my sister Hannah exclaimed as Electivire continued charging its attack. Both her and David, Daniel's little brother, were enjoying the exciting battle. My Plusle and Minun were on the railing, dancing and creating little pom-poms of electric sparks, cheering on Daniel with all they could muster. They always looked adorable when they did that. Plusle tossed a 'pom-pom' of red sparks into the air. Minun threw a blue 'pom-pom' of sparks and the two collided in a miniature explosion of red and blue sparks.

"Metal Claw has a small chance of increasing the user's Attack if it's used enough times," I explained to David, "It looks like Lucario just got a little power boost from Metal Claw." Electivire roared, interrupting our conversation as with a surge of electricity, it shattered the ice holding it in place, unleashing an electrical shockwave that knocked Lucario off his feet and sent him flying back in front of Daniel. Noah then shouted something and Electivire ended his electric attack. His long tails turned silver and the Thunderbolt Pokemon charged.

"After breaking out of the ice with that powerful Thunder attack, Electivire is following it up with an Iron Tail!" the announcer said.

"Watch out!" I cried as Electivire leaped into the air, intending to land tail-first onto the fallen Lucario. Daniel barked a quick command to Lucario, something I couldn't hear due to the cheers of the crowd. The Aura Pokemon rolled to the side at the last second, letting Electivire crash to the ground next to it. The Electric type then spun, trying to sweep Lucario with its still active Iron Tail. Lucario used his paws to launch himself a few feet into the air, over the sweeping Iron Tail, and created an orb of dark energy in midair. The Fighting/Steel type then launched a beam of purple/black circles from the orb at Electivire, who raised its arms to block the incoming Dark Pulse.

"Direct hit!" David exclaimed, standing up in excitement, "Dan's on a roll!" Lucario landed on all four limbs, pushing himself upright quickly Electivire recovered from the Dark Pulse quickly. Noah shouted a command and Electivire appeared to grin. Its fists began to glow white as it charged Lucario, who dodged the first couple of chops, but was caught off guard by an uppercut.

"And Electivire counters with a devastating Brick Break!" the announcer yelled, "This battle is intense!" I watched Lucario climb back to his feet after getting floored by the Brick Break.

"Good, Lucario's hanging tough despite taking that super-effective attack," I murmured to myself. My two Electric types were giving off even more sparks in an effort to cheer Daniel on. "Come on Lucario!" Lucario extended his claws again in another Metal Claw attack and charged. Noah threw his fist in the air and shouted an attack. Electivire leaned to the side and lashed out with its two tails, one struck Lucario on the side of the head as he lunged at Electivire and the other latched on around Lucario's waist. I looked on in horror as the scene lit up with electricity sparking everywhere.

"Electivire has unleashed a devastating Thunder attack at such close range. Can Lucario withstand this fierce assault?" the announcer shouted.

"Hang in there!" I shouted, trying to will the attack to end. Finally, the powerful electric attack ended, electricity still sparking across the battlefield.

-POV switch-

Daniel's POV

I was stunned by the quick turnaround; there was no other way to put it. One moment I had Electivire trapped, the next moment, Lucario was struggling to maintain consciousness from a vicious Thunder attack. "Stay strong Lucario, you've gotta hang on! Try an Aura Sphere!" Lucario growled as a blue light appeared in his eyes. Electivire saw this and used his tail to fling the Aura Pokemon away. The Fighting/Steel type twisted in midair, revealing an Aura Sphere in each palm before flinging them one after the other at the Thunderbolt Pokemon.

"Protect!" Noah called quickly. Electivire crossed his arms in front of him, creating another green force field that blocked both Aura Spheres.

"Keep hammering away with Dark Pulse!" I yelled. Lucario landed, creating another orb of dark energy before extending both his arms and firing another beam of purple/black circles that exploded against Electivire's shield. I could see cracks forming in the Protect. Now was not the time to let up. "Aura Sphere, full power!" Lucario brought his paws behind him, the bright blue orb of aura energy growing larger and larger. It was easily double the size of a normal Aura Sphere before Lucario shot his paws in front, firing the large Aura Sphere at Electivire's Protect. It crashed against the shield for a second before breaking through and exploding against Electivire. The Thunderbolt Pokemon was sent reeling backwards by the sheer power of the Fighting type attack.

"No way!" Noah shouted, "Protect should've blocked it!"

"When Protect is used in succession, its chances of failing go up with each successive use," I explained, "I went through the same growing pains with Swampert's Protect. Now, Lucario, finish this with Metal Claw!" Lucario extended his sliver claws again, shouting another battle cry before charging and slashing away at the reeling Electric type. Left! Right! Lucario ducked under a frantic Brick Break and continued slashing, using his right claws to intercept another desperate Brick Break before slashing at Electivire's exposed torso. The Aura Pokemon ended his assault with a nasty jump uppercut, flooring the Thunderbolt Pokemon. Lucario allowed the Metal Claw to fade, the claws turning back into the steel spikes projecting from the back of his paws before landing on the ground behind Electivire. To my surprise, the Electric type slowly climbed back to its feet. Lucario turned, ready for anything.

"Way to hang in there tough guy!" Noah shouted, "Now use Thunder!"

"ELECTIVIRE!" roared the Thunderbolt Pokemon before collapsing into a heap on the field. Lucario relaxed his stance and calmly walked over to my side of the field as the crowd roared.

"Electivire is unable to battle, Lucario wins!" the referee yelled upon further inspection, raising his green flag.

"Great job Lucario!" I told the Aura Pokemon. "Just one more to go. But it's his second strongest and it's breezed through two of my Pokemon so far. I think your Ice Punch will get the job done, Lucario, but you'll have to be really quick." The Fighting/Steel type nodded and turned around, facing Noah, who was tossing a Pokéball up and down calmly.

"Nice job, pushing me this far," Noah said, grinning like the Cheshire cat, "But it's over. I've got the type advantage and I'll finish this sweep with Garchomp!" He threw the ball into the air and out popped the Dragon type that had been giving me fits all battle; Garchomp, the dragon that looked like a combination of a land shark and a jet plane. He roared at me, eager to continue this exciting battle.

"Noah's got his back against the wall, down to his last Pokemon," the announcer said, "But, in case you have forgotten in all the excitement, this powerful Dragon type took down two of Daniel's Pokemon and has had plenty of rest in between battles. What will happen next?"

"Sweep?" I chuckled, "this is the furthest thing from a sweep! Lucario is gonna finish this and show the whole state who's really the better Trainer!"

The referee raised his flags again and once again, started off the round. "Lucario versus Garchomp! Ready? Begin!"

"Ice Punch!" I yelled. Lucario charged, both paws covered in icy blue energy. The Aura Pokemon leapt into the air, coming down towards the Mach Pokemon in front of Noah.

"Dig to escape!" Noah shouted. In a flash of dust and rock, Garchomp was underground. Lucario landed in front of the hole and closed his eyes, the four black appendages on the back of his head rising as Lucario used his aura senses to attempt to locate Garchomp. Lucario then barked something in his language at me, indicating he had locating the subterranean Dragon type.

"Nice, use Aura Sphere!" I answered. Lucario began charging another ball of Aura energy, creating two smaller spheres, one in the left paw and on in the right. "You know what to do."

"Come up and use Dragonbreath!" Noah shouted. Lucario did a 180 as the Mach Pokemon erupted out of the ground behind him; Garchomp inhaled deeply before exhaling a stream of green fire at the Aura Pokemon. Lucario threw one of his Aura Spheres at the Dragonbreath, then leaped as high as he could to throw the other one at the Dragon/Ground type. The first Aura Sphere collided with the Dragonbreath and created a small explosion. The second Aura Sphere shot through the smoke and exploded over Garchomp, who had been taken off guard by the second attack.

"Follow it up with Dark Pulse!" I called. Lucario obeyed and sent another beam of purple/black circles after the Mach Pokemon.

"Earth Power!" Noah shouted. Garchomp flew down, below the Dark Pulse, and slammed into the ground while glowing with a yellowy energy. The energy was absorbed by the ground and traveled rapidly to where Lucario was standing. The Aura Pokemon couldn't do anything to dodge and was bathed in destructive energy as the ground erupted around him.

"No!" I cried, but there was nothing I could do. Lucario collapsed as soon as the attack ended. "Come on buddy, get up!"

It was not to be. The referee examined the fallen Fighting/Steel type before raising his red flag. "Lucario is unable to battle, Garchomp wins!"

I returned Lucario to his Pokéball, not too surprised. "You did your best, especially with a type disadvantage. Get a good rest and leave this up to me and Blaziken." I put the Pokéball away and pulled out Blaziken's Pokéball. This one I had emblazoned a flame on the red half of the Pokéball and colored the white part of the ball brown, something I slowly did over my years as a Trainer. My first Pokemon, raised from an egg, was all I had left to win one last battle.

"This has been one amazing tournament with everything you could think of!" The announcer yelled, "With upsets, sweeps, and battles between brothers, it's been outstanding to watch! Now it all comes down to this, a single one on one match between our two finalists. Who will take home the title of State Champion? Will it be Daniel and his Blaziken or Noah and his Garchomp? If you're watching this from home, do NOT touch that remote!" I took a couple of deep breaths to steady my nerves, despite the roaring crowd.

"Let's go Dan, I can't wait to finish you off!" Noah taunted, his Garchomp roaring a challenge at me for emphasis.

I closed my eyes, letting the sensations wash over me; the roar of the crowd, the smell of the battlefield, the feel of the sunshine and the breeze on this beautiful day. Most importantly, I could feel Blaziken, in his Pokéball, ready to go. He was just as determined to win this as I was. I held the Pokeball to my lips for a couple seconds for good luck, still taking in the surroundings. When I felt ready, I opened my eyes and glared at Noah. "It's my time to shine. Blaziken, it's time for battle!" As the Fire/Fighting type appeared on the field, I could sense just a bit of hesitation from Noah and Garchomp. It was faint, as Noah carried himself with a calm confidence that enabled him to achieve greatness on the battlefield, but it was there. That hesitation brought a devilish grin to my face. "I have you now." It was as though the seeds of doubt Noah had sought to sow in my mind had backfired and was now beginning to take root in his.

"Garchomp, finish this match with Aerial Ace!" Noah shouted, that small window into his mind gone. The Mach Pokemon roared and flew high into the air, the Aerial Ace showing itself as white streaks of energy encasing Garchomp's form.

"Sky Uppercut," I said calmly. Blaziken nodded and focused on the incoming Garchomp, a white energy surrounding his three-clawed fists. At the last second Blaziken threw himself to the side, barely dodging the incoming attack and adding momentum to Garchomp by lashing out and connecting with Garchomp's exposed back, sending Garchomp into the ground. Garchomp tumbled along the ground a couple times before straightening out and landing in front of me. "Flamethrower!"

"Dig!" Noah shouted. Garchomp disappeared underground and I leaned to the side to avoid getting singed by my Blaziken's attack.

"Send another Flamethrower down the hole after Garchomp!" I ordered. Blaziken nodded and opened his beak, sending more white-hot flames after the Dragon/Ground type. To my satisfaction, I heard a yelp of surprise echo up from the hole as Garchomp endured the Flamethrower.

"Counter with Earth Power Volcano!" Noah shouted, "Full power!" I heard another roar from Garchomp as the entire battlefield began to glow with an eerie yellow color.

"Not again!" I gasped as parts of the field began to erupt around Blaziken. "Use Flare Blitz to get out of there!" The Blaze Pokemon cloaked himself in flames, burning a brilliant white, but before Blaziken could do anything else, the full power of the altered Earth Power attack struck. The entire field was bathed in yellow energy. I could see Blaziken defending himself against the attack, but for how long. There was one last surge of energy, one that covered the field in smoke, then I head Garchomp emerge from the ground and land, growling. When the smoke cleared, I was shocked to see Blaziken lying prone on the field. The unorthodox Earth Power attack must have overwhelmed the Flare Blitz.

"Blaziken is down!" the announcer yelled, "Could this tournament be over?!"

I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my gut. "Come on Blaziken, we've come too far to quit now! Get up!"

The referee began to peer closely at Blaziken. "Blaziken is unable to-" The ref paused, noticing something.

"Blazi-KEN!" my first Pokemon roared, pushing himself upright and standing back up. His wrist flames were growing longer, extending up to his elbows. The last time I'd seen his wrist flames extend so far, we were fighting for our lives on a backpacking trip against a group of Ursaring that we had the misfortune of stumbling across. While the situation wasn't quite as life-threatening, I could tell Blaziken was reaching into the last dregs of his energy reserves. After that exhausting battle against Infernape and now being pushed to the limit against Garchomp, even if we lost, I knew we would go having given all we had in this battle.

"Looks like Blaziken's tapping into Blaze again," Noah commented, "But it'll be all for naught. Garchomp, end this with Hyper Beam!" The Dragon/Ground type began gathering energy in his mouth, an orange glow growing in intensity. The Mach Pokemon roared and fired the Hyper Beam with such power that a groove appeared in the ground below it.

"Blaziken, DODGE!" I yelled, knowing even a graze from such a blast would probably be sufficient to knock out Blaziken. The Blaze Pokemon seemed to have the same idea and dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the intense beam which crashed against the wall behind me and exploded, the blast narrowly contained away from the spectators by the various Psychic type Pokemon assigned to such a task.

"Oh no!" Noah gasped. He had put his eggs in one basket with that attack and I was about to knock that basket to the ground.

"All right partner, Blaze Uppercut Close Combat Combo NOW!" I ordered. Garchomp crouched down and was motionless behind his arm fins. Blaziken began pounding away at his defenses, with his fists glowing with the essence of a Sky Uppercut and his legs covered in fire in preparation of a Blaze Kick. Left! Spinning kick! Right! Roundhouse kick! The Fire/Fighting type continued to batter away until finally, Blaziken jumped, focusing all his power into his right leg; the Sky Uppercut faded and his leg became covered completely in brilliant blue flames. It was like watching a comet fall from the sky as Blaziken finally broke through Garchomp's defenses and delivered a devastating kick to Garchomp's chest. The Mach Pokemon bellowed in pain to signal it was done recharging from the Hyper Beam.

"Way to stay strong!" Noah shouted, "Finish this with Aerial Ace!" Garchomp roared and began to gather himself for the attack.

I didn't have much time. "Sky Uppercut!" Blaziken's fists turned white as Garchomp launched himself at Blaziken, surrounded by white streaks of energy. Blaziken, on pure fighting instinct, ducked and the Mach Pokemon flew directly over Blaziken. In slow motion, I could see Blaziken power into a Sky Uppercut with his legs and connect solidly with Garchomp's gut, stopping the Aerial Ace cold. There were gasps from the crowd at the sudden reversal. Blaziken used another Sky Uppercut to knock Garchomp off his other fist, then jumped into the air. I knew exactly what move he wanted to use. "BLAZE KICK!" The Blaze Pokémon's legs again were covered in blue fire and Blaziken flipped, landing one final blow to Garchomp's head and sending the Mach Pokemon crashing into the ground. Blaziken landed next to the Dragon/Ground type, fell to one knee, and looked at his opponent. Garchomp slowly clambered to his feet, growling in anger at having been outwitted like that. There was absolute silence in the stadium. Both Pokemon were breathing heavily, fighting to stay awake. I saw Blaziken wince from an earlier injury and begin to fall forward. The gasps of the crowd were audible as Blaziken caught himself, now on all fours. Garchomp took a step towards Blaziken, growling the whole while. Then, a thud as one of the Pokemon collapsed.

The referee peered closely at the fallen Pokemon. "Garchomp is unable to battle! Blaziken wins, and this means the match goes to Daniel of Indian Head!" The crowd erupted into cheers as I tried to comprehend what had happened. I sunk to my knees in simultaneous awe and shock.

"What a battle!" The announcer was yelling, "I'm certain this will be talked about for years! It came down to the wire! Both Trainer's and their Pokemon gave it all they had. In the end, there could only be one, and that one is Daniel! Let's give both Trainers a well-deserved cheer!" The wave of sound nearly knocked me over as the crowd let me know just how impressive this battle had been.

"We won?" I asked myself quietly. I looked at Blaziken, who was smiling. "We won!" I rose to my feet and ran out to my first Pokemon, hugging him tightly as the emotions poured through.

"Blaze…blaziken," he said to me. (Translation: I knew we could do it) My smile stretched from ear to ear as I recalled the Blaze Pokemon into his Pokéball for a well-deserved rest. I looked up to see Noah comforting his Garchomp before the Mach Pokemon was sucked back into his Pokéball. He walked over to me, a wry smile on his face.

"That was a great battle," he said.

"I told you it was going to be different this year," I retorted.

"Yeah, you did," Noah acknowledged, "Don't think you'll be so lucky next time. Our rematch will have a different result." With that said, my friendly rival walked away as I was swarmed by reporters, eager for words for a potential headline. At the awards ceremony, I was still smiling even as I was presented the trophy. My Pokemon, having been treated by our resident Nurse Joy, stood beside me as I then placed six gold medals around my Pokémon's necks.

"I couldn't have done this without you guys," I said to them. "Thanks. Now let's celebrate!" The festivities lasted long into the night. I had overcome my rival. Now it was time to set my goals higher. Pokemon League, here I come!

**And there you have it! They're finally done! A lot of planning, but I've finally finished these, now maybe I'll move on to a Pokemon USA type story like my friend Bumblebee2448 is doing. OC's would be welcomed in there as well if I decide to create such a story**

**I will take requests, per the following guidelines:**

**Six Pokemon (or less) per trainer, no legendary Pokemon, six moves per Pokemon, no relation to the anime characters (no long lost sister of Ash or anything like that), and only one Pokemon can have a super special ability (like Lucario back in Brother vs Brother). I'll get them done as soon as I can. Until then, I'll be working on Yugioh Chaos Unleashed.**

**Reviews are always welcomed, as I'm always trying to improve as an author. That, and I like meeting people in general. So don't be shy and talk to me! **

**Until next time my friends!**

**From your Nutty Buddy,**

**The Eagle Nut**


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